Crisis Core
by Fran1993
Summary: Soldier 1st Class, Kirana Maera tells us her P.O.V. during the events of Final Fantasy VII: Crisis Core. REWRITTEN
1. Chapter 1

**A/N:** It's been almost 7 years since I uploaded my first story to this website. Though the writing could've been better, a lot of people seemed to like it. So with all the experience I have today, I'm going to rewrite it. I hope you enjoy it.

The original story is still up on my profile if you are interested in reading it.

* * *

 **Crisis Core**

 **Chapter 1**

"My name is Kirana Maera, and I am a Soldier. I have worked for Shinra all my life, ever since my parents left me there as a child. I grew up under the watchful eye of Professor Ghast, until the war on Wutai claimed his life. And as if things couldn't get any worse, I was immediately reassigned to Professor Hojo. Hojo.. The man could barely take care of himself. Fortunately I wasn't alone with him. Soon after I had arrived in his lab, he send me away to take care of his most prized project. A young boy called Sephiroth. The two of us eventually grew up together, and joined Soldier at age 15. Together with Angeal Hewley and Genesis Rhapsodos we became 1st class Soldiers. Today, Angeal has asked me to oversee the training of his newest student, Soldier 2nd class Zack Fair. I've heard he's quite the overexcited puppy and I look forward to seeing him in action."

I sighed and looked over my freshly written journal entry. It was a summary of my life in a handful of pages. Angeal had recently convinced me to write down my thoughts in a journal, to bring order to the chaos in my life. Whatever that means is anyone's guess. I closed the book and put it back in my desk drawer, after which I checked my PHS for the time. 5:45. I had 15 minutes to get ready for my training session with Zack. I walked into the bathroom, freshened up and braided my long black hair. Once I was done, I made my way out of my apartment. If you could call it that. Every Soldier working for Shinra, starting from 2nd class, was assigned a bed and bathroom on the 57th floor of the main building, to cut down on travel time. I locked the door and headed towards the staircase leading me up to the 59th floor. Once I arrived, I chose a training room and left a message on the screen for Zack. After which I leaned against the wall, waiting for my companions to arrive. It didn't take them very long, Angeal was very punctual. "Hello you two. I'm so glad you've finally arrived." Angeal smirked at me and spoke. "We can't all be you." Zack however, seemed to have a minor mental breakdown. I don't think he was expecting to see me. "What's wrong, Zack?" I asked, trying to break the silence. "Ehm.. Nothing's wrong! I am just surprised to see you here, sir! Eh.. Madam?" I chuckled at that. "Sir is fine. You can call me Kirana, if that makes you feel more comfortable." Zack nodded. Angeal meanwhile had made his way over to the control panel. "So, Angeal has asked me to oversee your training today. I have a mission planned out for you. Do you think you're up for that?"

"Yes, Sir!"

"Very well then. Let's begin, shall we?" I said, signaling Angeal to start the simulation. Both Zack and I walked over to the middle of the room and slowly but surely we materialized into a helicopter. Once the simulation was ready, I walked into the cockpit and took the driver's seat. I put on my headphones and turned off the autopilot. "Zack, we are currently flying over a supply train approaching Midgar. The train has been overrun by Wutai troops, it is your job to eliminate them and regain control of the train." Zack nodded and held two fingers to his forehead. "Oh yeah!" He then jumped out of the helicopter onto the moving train. I shook my head and spoke. "Try to stay serious." Zack nodded and charged the enemies in front of him. It took him a few minutes to clear out all of the Wutai troops on top of the train, before stopping it and boarding the nearby Midgar station. After he had jumped off of the train, I called his PHS to inform him of the next objective. "Zack speaking."

"Making progress, Zack?"

"What's going on, Kirana? Why are we fighting Shinra troops?" Zack asked, referring to the Wutai troops in disguise. "There were no Shinra troops on that train, Zack. They're just Wutai soldiers in disguise."

"Oh, I see."

"Now, for your next objective. It's time for you to head up to the open area above."

"Towards sector 8?"

"Yes, but first you need to clear a path."

"Clear a path?"

"You'll see what I mean. Good luck!" I smirked and hung up. I watched a few Wutai soldiers approach Zack from behind and flew the helicopter over towards a landing pad nearby. I quickly got out and made my way towards Zack. As soon as I reached sector 8, I had arrived just in time to see Zack beat down a Behemoth. Zack cheered and celebrated his victory, causing him to lose focus. Because of this, Zack was pinned down by a Sephiroth apparition, that attacked him from behind. At that point I decided to step in and blocked the apparition's blade before it could cut Zack in half. "Wow.. Thanks, Kirana." Zack said, slowly getting back on his feet. "Enough training for today." I told him. I signaled Angeal and waited for the room to turn back to normal. After a few seconds, Angeal joined us. "Thank you, Kirana."

"No problem. I've been waiting for an opportunity to see your pupil in action. He's got potential." At this, Zack's face lit up. "I look forward to your progress."

"Yes, Sir." Zack said proudly. I smiled and began to make my way out of the training room. I kissed Angeal on the cheek on my way out of the door. It was time for some training of my own.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N:** Thank you to the story's first (Guest) reviewer! I wish I knew who you were! To answer your question: Yes, I will continue to write the story into VII and Advent Children. I hope you enjoy this chapter.

* * *

 **Crisis Core**

 **Chapter 2**

After reaching the 1st class training room on the 64th floor, I quickly changed my gear and grabbed a training sword from the weapons rack on the wall. I twirled it around in my hand, getting a feel for the blade, and made my way over to one of the training dummies. I trained with that sword for what seemed like hours, until a familiar voice interrupted me. "Still training, I see." I turned around to face the person watching me. "Rufus Shinra. What are you doing up here?" I asked him. Rufus smirked and made his way over to me. "I heard you were training up here, and decided to watch. Is that so bad?" I raised an eyebrow at him. I never really did like Rufus. He was rude, obnoxious and to top it all off he was a really bad flirt. Nevertheless he was the president's son, so I tried to be on my best behavior around him. Tried being the key word. "Not at all. Actually, I was just leaving." I told him as I hung the training sword back on the wall. "A woman like you shouldn't be out there fighting a war." Rufus said, grabbing my arm just as I was about to walk out of the door. I frowned. I didn't know what he was trying to accomplish here, but I wasn't having any of it. "At least I'm fighting, unlike the people who actually started the war." I pulled my arm out of his grip, and quickly walked out the door before I said anything I would regret.

* * *

A few hours after my training session, I received a message from Lazard. It said:

"Meet me in the briefing room, a.s.a.p. – Lazard."

The message was short, too short. That usually meant something was wrong. I put away the paperwork I was working on and made my way over to the nearby briefing room. As soon as I entered the room, Lazard welcomed me with a concerned look on his face. "I'm glad you could join us. Please, have a seat. We will begin as soon as Sephiroth arrives." I nodded and sat down next to Angeal. He looked concerned as well. I asked him if he knew what was going on, but he just shook his head and remained silent. I sighed and leaned back in my chair, already becoming impatient. I wanted to know what was going on. I also wanted to know what could be so bad that it needed me, Angeal and Sephiroth to solve. After a few minutes of waiting, the door opened. Sephiroth had finally arrived. Without saying a word he made his way towards me and stood behind my chair. While Lazard prepared his presentation, I could feel the tension in the room rising. "Right." Lazard said, turning on the large screen to the left of us, revealing Genesis's personnel file. "I've called you here to discuss and issue with Soldier 1st class Genesis Rhapsodos." I raised an eyebrow at that and spoke. "What about him?"

"He's MIA. And he took a division of 3th class with him." I couldn't believe what I was hearing. Genesis was missing? Why would this happen? Why now? We were so close to ending the war on Wutai. It wasn't right. "Even with some of our own missing, we have to proceed with our next mission as planned. The attack on Fort Tamblin will most likely end the war." I sighed and stood up from my seat. "I'll do what I can, but don't expect me to be at my best." Lazard nodded in response. "I'll be there, as per usual." Sephiroth said. Angeal however, remained silent. I put a hand on his shoulder, and walked out of the briefing room. Sephiroth soon followed after me. I made my way over to one of the large balcony area's overlooking the city and leaned onto the railing. I sighed and spoke as soon as Sephiroth arrived. "I can't believe this is happening.." I said. Sephiroth crossed his arms and leaned his back onto the railing next to me. "You sure are awfully quiet about all of this." I said, turning to face Sephiroth. "No matter what may have happened to Genesis, we have to continue the mission." Sephiroth said with his usual pokerface in place. "I know that." I said quietly. I sighed and took a few steps forward, twirling around in place after which I spoke up again. "Do you want to train? Get our minds off of this mess?" Sephiroth smirked. Of course he did.

* * *

As soon as we got into the same training room I was in with Zack that morning, Sephiroth started our favorite simulation. Junon. More specifically, we were on top of the Mako cannon in Junon. I smiled as we walked around the barrel. The view was absolutely wonderful. The open sky in front of us, the ocean below us.. It always calmed me down. Having looked at the scenery for a few seconds, I turned around. Sephiroth stood before me, sword in hand. I unsheathed my own sword and winked at him. "Ready?" He asked. I nodded and spoke. "I am. Don't go easy on me, all right?" Sephiroth smirked and charged at me, I quickly blocked his attack and jumped backwards. "I never do." Sephiroth said, after which he charged at me again. Usually, I didn't have a hard time blocking his attacks, but today was different. It seemed like Sephiroth was putting all of his frustration in his attacks towards me. We trained for a few hours, only stopping because Sephiroth almost beheaded me. "O-kay. That's enough for today." I said, dropping my sword on the ground and holding my hands up in surrender. Sephiroth nodded and dropped his sword as well. I sighed and turned to walk to the end of the Canon and sat down. Sephiroth followed me and sat down to the right of me. I leaned my head on his shoulder and stared at the sunset in front of us. Tomorrow was the big day. Even with Genesis gone, the mission would surely be a success. I just hoped he was all right.


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N:** A big thank you to Gry21! I appreciate your input!

* * *

 **Crisis Core**

 **Chapter 3**

Today was the big day. Today Shinra would attack Fort Tamblin. Without Genesis. I pinched the bridge of my nose as I continued to listen to the chatter between Angeal and Lazard. We were seated in the briefing room, waiting for Solder 2nd class Zack Fair to arrive. It took a few minutes, but arrive he did. Zack walked into the room with his signature smile in place, blissfully unaware of our current situation. He put two fingers to his head and waved them at me. I smiled but remained silent. "Zack, it's good to finally meet face to face." Lazard said, standing up from his seat and shaking Zack's hand. "Likewise."

"Well then, on to business. I've called you here today to discuss one of our 1sts." Lazard leaned down to his laptop, and pulled up Genesis's personnel file. "Soldier 1st class Genesis Rhapsodos. A few weeks ago he went missing during a mission in Wutai. Know anything about this?" Zack held up his hands and shook his head. "Not a clue." I sighed and turned to look at Angeal. I could tell Genesis's disappearance was still bothering him as well. "The mission is currently stuck in limbo." Lazard told Zack, sinking back into his seat, crossing his arms as he spoke. "That's why we've decided to send you." Zack raised an eyebrow at that. "Uh.. to Wutai?"

"Yes. This war has gone on long enough."

"I've recommended you for first." Angeal said, surprising Zack who instantly ran towards him. "Angeal! I love you man!" Angeal pushed Zack away, trying to avoid his pupils hugs. "Don't make me regret this Zack." Zack nodded and saluted him. "Sir!"

"I'll be joining you as well." I said, standing up from my seat and walking over to them. "Kirana? You're coming too?" Zack asked me. I smiled at him and crossed my arms behind my back. "Of course. What would you do without me?"

* * *

Hours passed and before we knew it, Zack, Angeal and I were on a helicopter towards Wutai. Zack could hardly contain his excitement on the way there, saying that performing well in a mission like this would surely give him a shot at becoming a first class. It didn't take long for us to get to Wutai though, and once we were mere minutes away from landing, I spoke up. "We're approaching our rendezvous point, time to go." Both Zack and Angeal nodded, and as soon as the helicopter flew low enough to the ground, we jumped out and began making our way towards Fort Tamblin. On the way there, Angeal commenced in small talk. "Say Zack, have you ever heard of Dumbapples?" Zack put his hands behind his head and spoke. "Not really, no."

"Unbelievable. How can you not know about Dumbapples?" Angeal said, faking disappointment. "You'll never make 1st at that rate."

"What?! What do you mean? What are Dumbapples?" Zack asked, panicking at the thought of losing his shot. I chuckled as Zack started to run around in panic. He was so easy to tease. "Calm down, Zack. You're alerting the enemy." Zack held his hands to his mouth and continued to walk with us in silence for a little while. After a few minutes though, he asked us about Dumbapples again and Angeal finally told him. "The official name is Banora White. The tree's bear fruit at random times during the year. Because of that, the townspeople of Banora affectionately call them Dumbapples."

"Banora, huh? Isn't that your home town?" Zack asked. Angeal nodded in response. "It is. The tree's around our village had plenty to spare."

"Oh really? So you stole them?" Angeal chuckled. "We were poor, Zack. But even then, I had my honor. The largest Banora white tree grew on a wealthy man's estate. It was rumored that those apples tasted the best. But I never once stole from that tree, because the wealthy man's son was my friend." I smiled at that. "What exactly does that have to do with me?" Zack asked Angeal in confusion. "No story is not worth hearing." Angeal said before walking off. "What? That's it?" Zack asked me. I raised my shoulders and spoke up. "That's Angeal for ya. Let's get a move on, Zack. We don't want to be left behind, now do we?"

"Right!"

* * *

Once Zack and I caught up to Angeal, the three of us knelt down on a cliff overlooking Fort Tamblin. I looked through my binoculars trying to find my unit, while Angeal told Zack what to do next. "B unit will set off an explosion as soon as Kirana signals them. That will be our que." Zack nodded and spoke. "The diversion will allow us to infiltrate." I spotted B unit not far from us, and stood up from my spot. "I'll go tell them you're standing ready. Good luck, boys." Angeal held up his thumb and wish me good luck after which I jumped down from the cliff into the forest below us. I started making my way over to B unit, and tried to avoid contact with any of the Wutaian soldiers nearby. Once I arrived, I saw a familiar face waiting for me. "Glad you made it." Sephiroth said. I smiled at him and spoke up. "Both Angeal and Zack are standing by near the fort." Sephiroth nodded and alerted the infantryman to the left of him. After just a few seconds, the explosion went off, alerting the Wutaian troops to our presence. Sephiroth and I were supposed to clear the surrounding areas of any stragglers afterwards, which we did with relative ease. After knocking out the last of the Wutaian soldiers charging at us, I brushed some loose hair out of my face and pulled out my PHS. I dialed Zack's number, but he wasn't answering his phone. "Darn, he's not picking up."

"He shouldn't be far from here." Sephiroth said, running towards the fort and motioning me to follow. He was right. Zack was fighting a summon near the back gate. As per usual though, Zack got overconfident. He Celebrated his victory too early, causing the summon to gain the upper hand. Sephiroth sighed and stepped in before the summon could cause any major harm to Zack. Once the summon was defeated, I examined the surrounding area. Underneath a nearby tree lay the corpses of two strangely dressed soldiers. "These two aren't from Wutai." I said, taking their helmets off. My eyes widened in shock. Before me lay two perfect copies of Genesis. "Genesis.." I said quietly. "The missing 1st class?" Zack asked. Sephiroth frowned and knelt down next to me. "Genesis copies."

"Copy? A human copy?" Zack asked us again. Sephiroth placed a hand on my shoulder in comfort, and promptly stood up afterwards. "Where is Angeal?" He asked Zack in a demanding manner. "I thought he was fighting with you."

"So he's gone too.." I said, crossing my arms and walking away from them. "What? What does that mean, Kirana?" Zack asked me, grabbing my arm before I could walk away any further. "It means that Angeal has betrayed us as well." Sephiroth said, pulling Zack's hand away from my arm. "No way!" Zack yelled out in anger. "I know what kind of guy Angeal is, and he would never do that." I turned to look at Zack with sympathy and spoke. "I wish it were different."

"It is different! Angeal wouldn't betray us. Never!" I sighed. Yet another friend missing. What was going on?


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N:** A big thank you to my lovely reviewers, you guys give me so much inspiration. Keep it up!

* * *

 **Crisis Core**

 **Chapter 4**

 **One month later..**

I sighed as I read through Zack's report on his mission in Banora. It was a mission both Sephiroth and I were originally assigned to. And I was glad we refused to go, considering what went down. Upon arrival in Banora, Zack and the Turk Tseng were immediately attacked by both Genesis copies and stolen Shinra technology. Further investigation of the village revealed that nearly everyone in the town had been murdered, including Genesis's parents. The only survivor was Gillian, Angeal's mother. Gillian told them that Genesis had set up a base in a warehouse on the edge of the town, it appears that this is where the Genesis copies were being produced. As Zack and Tseng investigated the warehouse, they found Genesis who attacked them in anger. Angeal later stopped Genesis, causing him to flee the scene. Zack initially tried to talk some sense into Angeal, but he refused to talk to him and ran off as well. After all this, Tseng received orders to airstrike Banora in an attempt to destroy all evidence of Genesis actions and the Shinra technology left behind. Zack initially tried to evacuate Gillian, but unfortunately found her dead in her home, with Angeal standing over her corpse. Zack in anger attacked Angeal, only to be stopped by Genesis later on. Genesis in turn used a summon to distract Zack, giving both Angeal and himself the opportunity to escape.

I closed the report and lay my head down on top of my hands. So much death.. And for what? I couldn't imagine why Genesis's parents and Gillian were murdered that day. I had known them for years, they were good people. What could possibly have motivated Genesis? And why would Angeal blindly follow after him? So many questions, and no answers.

* * *

Later on that day, Sephiroth and I were asked to report to Lazard's office where he explained to us that the company had declared both Genesis and Angeal K.I.A. to the public. The company had also decided to eliminate them on sight. "Luckily" for us he asked the Shinra army to handle the matter, as if that made it any better. Fortunately there was also good news. Lazard had decided to promote Zack to 1st class, and invited him to join us after our meeting finished up. As soon as Zack entered the office, he congratulated him on his promotion. "Congratulations. As of this moment you are promoted to Soldier 1st Class." Zack looked at Lazard with a confused look on his face. "Hmm. I thought I'd be happier." He said quietly. "Understandable. Too much has happened too fast. Unfortunately, I am in need of your assistance again." Zack turned around to face Sephiroth and I. "Are you pushing another assignment on me?" I smiled at him apologetically as Sephiroth spoke up. "My apologies."

"Whatever." Zack said, turning back to Lazard. "The company has decided to eliminate Genesis and his cohorts. This includes Angeal as well."

"And you want me to do it?" Zack asked him angrily. "No. The Shinra army will handle it."

"Then what about me?"

"They don't trust you." Sephiroth said, walking towards Zack as he spoke. "They believe your emotions will hamper your judgment."

"Well, of course!" I smirked and spoke up. "That's why we're going too." Zack raised an eyebrow at me. "To kill them?" Before I could answer him though, the alarm went off and gunfire could be heard from below us. Lazard looked at his computer screen and spoke up. "An intruder!"

"Where?" Zack asked him. "Close. Sephiroth, the President. Zack, entrance. Kirana, reactor."

* * *

While the Shinra building was a mess with Genesis copies attacking from all sides, the mako reactor seemed to be peaceful. The only weird thing was the fact that a lot of areas seemed to have been sealed off. Since there was no way for me to get inside, I assumed no one else had been able to as well. After reporting back to Lazard, I was later on joined by Sephiroth who updated me. "The Shinra building has been cleared of copies. What's the situation here?"

"Everything seems to be fine, I have no idea why the alarms went off, there is nothing here aside from a few fiends here and there."

"I see." Sephiroth said, pulling out his PHS and ringing Zack's number. He put his phone on speaker mode, so I could listen to the conversation as well. "Zack speaking."

"Once Sector 8 is clear, come to mako reactor 5."

"Did you find something out?"

"Angeal has been sighted." I raised an eyebrow at that. Why didn't he tell me that earlier? "So, its search and destroy?" Zack asked him angrily. "The army is mobilizing, but there is still time. You, Kirana and I will find them before they do and.."

"AND WHAT?" Autch! God, he didn't have to yell! "..fail to eliminate them." Sephiroth said, finishing his earlier sentence. "For real?" Zack asked him happily. "Yes, for real." After that, Sephiroth hung up. Once Zack arrived at the reactor though, he was suddenly attacked by a white winged monster. Zack easily cut it down, after which we walked over to him. I knelt down next to the monster on the ground and examined it. The monster had a picture of Angeal's face on his forehead. I sighed and spoke. "It appears Genesis isn't the only one who can be copied." Sephiroth grunted and leaned against the railing to the left of me. "You guys were pretty tight, huh?" Zack asked us." I stood up and made my way over to Sephiroth. "We were."

"The four of us used to sneak off into the company training room. For some fun." Sephiroth said. I smiled and closed my eyes as Sephiroth's words described a memory of better days.

* * *

We were in Junon, the simulated version that is. I sat on top of some boxes, both Ageal and Genesis sitting next to me. Sephiroth stood in front of us and watched the sunset as Genesis recited Loveless. "Infinite in mystery is the gift of the Goddess. We seek it thus, and take to the sky. Ripples form on the water's surface, the wandering soul knows no rest."

"Loveless. Act 1." Sephiroth said, before turning to face us. "You remembered." Genesis said as the three of us stood up. "How can I not, when you've beaten it into my head." I smiled at that and unsheathed my sword. Earlier on we decided to duel each other. Genesis and Angeal vs. Sephiroth and I. The four of us took our respective battle stances, after which Angeal gave Genesis one last word of advice. "Don't take Sephiroth lightly."

"Noted." Genesis said, after which he immediately charged Sephiroth. Sephiroth easily deflected his attacks, during which Angeal decided to focus on me. I jumped backwards a few times, avoiding most his attacks until I reached the edge of the canon. I smirked and charged straight at him, sliding in between his legs in an attempt to attack Genesis who was standing right behind him. Genesis jumped up, causing my blade and Sephiroth's to collide. I smirked and turned around, seeing Genesis and Angeal standing behind me. "Stand back, Angeal. I'll take them on alone." Genesis said, causing me to raise an eyebrow at him. "Have you lost your mind?" I asked him. Genesis smirked and engulfed his sword in fire. "The world needs a new hero."

"Come and try." Sephiroth said, causing Genesis to attack him in anger. Sephiroth stepped backwards, easily avoiding Genesis's blade. Genesis turned towards me as I swung at him myself a few times, until Sephiroth attacked him from behind. Genesis ducked and swirled around trying to knock us both over. The two of us jumped backwards, after which Genesis send fireblasts our way. Sephiroth and I tried to avoid them until we realized they were gathering up into a huge fireball above us. I ran towards Sephiroth who took my hand and launched me up into the sky where I used my sword to cut through the fireball as it scattered around me. Meanwhile Genesis proceeded to launch a full on assault on Sephiroth. I landed on the canon near Angeal who spoke up. "Genesis is taking this fight way to seriously."

"Agreed." I said, as Genesis proceeded to tear up the place in front of us. Angeal and I ran towards our friends and stopped their blades with our own. Sephiroth stopped as soon as Angeal stepped in front of him. Genesis however prepared another fireblast. I put my hand on Genesis's and spoke. "Stop. You'll destroy us all if you keep that up." Genesis frowned and pushed me aside. "That's no way to talk to a hero." He said, firing off the blast towards Sephiroth. Angeal deflected the attack, causing his sword to break in two and hit Genesis's right shoulder. The ensuing explosion also caused the simulation to malfunction, turning the room back to normal. I ran over towards Genesis and examined his shoulder. A large gash ran from the top of his shoulder down his back. "You need to get that checked out." I said as I helped him stand up. Genesis smiled and spoke up. "Just a scrape. I'll be fine, don't worry." He patted me on the shoulder and proceeded to walk out of the room. "Even if the morrow is barren with promises, nothing shall forstall my return."

* * *

"So, was everything all right?" Zack asked us as soon as Sephiroth finished the story. "Yes, as far as Genesis was concerned. But as for Angeal.."

"What about him?" I smiled at the memory and spoke up. "Afterwards he received one of Angeal's famous lectures."

"Which one?"

"Always the same. Discipline, dreams, honor. Et cetera."

"Ah.. One of those, huh?"

"I guess you were right after all." I told Sephiroth as I knelt down next to the Angeal copy. "They're in league with Hollander."

* * *

Once we had cleared the reactor of the newly arrived Angeal copies, Sephiroth explained to us why the doors were locked. It would seem that Hollander used his ID card to seal everything off, after which he shut down the power towards those sections. This however was easily mended. Zack turned the valves below us back into the right position, after which I hacked into the mainframe to open up the doors. Once Zack had found his way back to us, Sephiroth opened the door. After walking through a large hallway in what seemed to be a warehouse, we found a few stairs leading downwards into a makeshift laboratory. The first thing we noticed were two strange tubes to the left of us filled with Angeal copies. "A wretched sight." Sephiroth said as he examined one of the tubes. "Why do you think Hollander is copying them?" Zack asked him. "I don't know." Sephiroth said as I started looking through the files scattered on the floor. These were highly confidential research files. I wonder how Hollander got them away from Shinra. "Sephiroth, have you ever heard about Project G?" I asked as I made my way over to him. Sephiroth shook his head and took the file from me, reading it out loud. "Project G: A summary. Implantation of the cells of an Ancient into a human fetus. Goal: Imbue said fetus with the Ancient's abilities."

"Wait. He experimented on babies?!" Zack asked him angrily. "Yes. It appears to have been Hollander's experiment. Apparently the result was a normal child. However.."

"There were some complications." I said as I continued reading through another file. "Soldier degradation phenomenon: The heightened abilities of Soldier members are maintained by a delicate balance of various genetic factors. A change in this balance could only be caused by faulty genetic information. While this isn't possible under normal circumstances, the Soldier's type G seem to be the only ones effected."

"I'm feeling woozy.." Zack said quietly as he sat down on top of a nearby desk. "This must be why we weren't able to donate any of our blood to Genesis." I said, closing the file in my hands. Sephiroth frowned. "A Soldier type G.. All of the documents Hollander stole are in relation to his own research."

"Except for this one." Zack said. "It's about Ancients." I raised an eyebrow at that and took the file from him. "The Ancients project – Outline. Using the cells of an unearthed Ancient, we have begun research on creating and mass-producing a race with comparable abilities. The primary objective of this research is to significantly reduce Mako excavation costs. I wonder how creating more of these Ancients was going to achieve that."

"Project G gave birth to the man we know as Genesis. But none of this tells us anything about Angeal." Sephiroth said. "Then why is Angeal able to be copied?" Zack asked, but before anything else could be said, Hollander came walking down the stairs and spoke up. "S-Sephiroth? Kirana?"

"Hollander. I thought I'd find you here." Sephiroth said, making his way towards Hollander. But before he could reach him, Genesis jumped down in front of him and held up his sword against Sephiroth's throat. "Genesis.." I said quietly, unsure of what to do. Unfortunately this gave Hollander the opportunity to escape. "Zack! Go after Hollander." I said, causing Zack to run after him. As soon as the two of them left the room, Genesis dropped his sword and spoke up. "There is no hate, only joy, for you are beloved by the Goddess. Hero of the dawn, healer of worlds."

"Loveless, again? You never change." Sephiroth said as Genesis walked past him, towards me. "Three friends go into battle. One is captured, one flies away, and the one that is left becomes a hero."

"A common story it would seem." I said as Genesis stopped mere inches away from me. "If we were to enact it, would I be the one to play the hero.." He turned his head to face Sephiroth as he spoke. "..or would he?"

"It's all yours." Sephiroth said, causing Genesis to frown. "Indeed. After all, your glory should have been mine."

"How petty."  
"In hindsight, perhaps. But now, what I want most.." Genesis said, brushing some of my hair behind my ear as he spoke. ".. is the gift of the Goddess."

"And what would that be?" I asked him, staring into his eyes, hoping to see the person I once knew. "Who knows." He said, after which he jumped up into the sky and flew out of a window above us. So much for that..


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N:** Guest: Sorry, I've already written the Modeoheim chapter. But maybe I can incorporate your idea in another way? We'll see.

* * *

 **Crisis Core**

 **Chapter 5**

Once Genesis had left us, Sephiroth and I gathered up the research documents left behind by Hollander. After that we decided to catch up with Zack. We searched the warehouse for a good while, but neither of us found out where Zack and Hollander ran off to. Since there was nothing left for us to do here, we decided to report back to Lazard. However, once we entered the Shinra building we found it under attack by Genesis and his copies. Again. Sephiroth decided to secure the entrance, while I tried to contact Zack as I made my way up to the 49th floor. After fighting my way through a handful of Genesis copies, the wall to the left of me exploded. I covered my ears and after the initial shock had vanished I turned around to find the perpetrators. "Oh, you've got to be kidding me.." I said in disbelief. In front of me stood Zack and.. Angeal? I smiled and leaned my sword against the wall as I spoke. "I guess that's one way to enter the building."

"It's good to see you too, Kirana." Angeal said, slowly making his way over to me with a smirk on his face. "You look awful."

"Now look who's talking?" I said, pointing out his greying hair. I also couldn't help but notice the white wing sticking out of his left shoulder, but decided against bringing it up. "You're late. We've been under attack all day."

"Sorry to keep you waiting. I was gathering intel on Hollander. It's safe to assume he ordered Genesis to eliminate Hojo."

"Good for him." I said, causing Zack to raise an eyebrow at me. "Hojo? The head of the science department?"

"Yes. Hollander believes Hojo robbed him of his rightful position." I rolled my eyes at Angeal's words and turned away from him. "Forget about Hojo. Hollander can have him."

"You're in your usual mood, I see. Nevertheless, Shinra and its employees have to be protected. I'll secure the floors below. I assume Sephiroth is safeguarding the president?"

"As per usual."

"Right, I'll leave Hojo to the two of you then." Angeal said, flying out of the building before I could protest. I ran towards the hole in the wall and watched him fly away from us. I sighed, then turned around to retrieve my sword. "Always on the move.."

* * *

Once Zack and I had fought our way down towards the labs, we entered one of its main testing area's and found Hojo inside. I frowned at him and stayed behind to guard the door. Zack however decided to try everything in his power to keep the miserable professor safe. "Professor? The building is under attack by Genesis's army. We have reason to believe they might be after you." Hojo kept his eyes on his clipboard and continued writing as he spoke. "And you're the ones send to protect me?" I rolled my eyes at that. If it were up to me he'd be on his own. "Yes, we are. We need to evacuate the building as soon as possible. Will you come with us?"

"Degrading monsters are nothing to fear."

"You're talking about Genesis?" Of course he was. "Indeed. A memento from an unenlightened era, when men could deem any unclassified life form as an ancient." I raised an eyebrow at that and spoke up. "Then what did Hollander inject him with?"

"Jenova's cells. A calamity that fell from the sky twenty-five years ago. Don't worry your pretty little head over it though. A soldier's duty is not to think, it is to protect men who think for them, like me." I frowned at that, but before I could say anything about it, a black feather fell down in front of me. I looked up at the ceiling and saw Genesis descending from a steel bar up above us. "I was wonder when you'd show up." I said, slowly making my way towards him. Genesis smirked and held up his blade towards Hojo's neck. "You're here to stop me?"

"Hollander send you, correct?" I asked him. "Why are you following his orders anyway?"

"Because he thinks Hollander can stop his body from degrading." Hojo said, crossing his arms before finally turning around to face us. "A third rate hack like Hollander couldn't cure a cold." Genesis frowned and moved his blade closer towards Hojo's throat. "Genesis, that's enough."

"Angeal?" Zack said as I turned to look at him. Angeal stood behind me, blade in hand and his wing spread out behind him. "Ah, what do we have here? The entire cast of Hollander's freak show." Hojo said, causing Zack to lash out at him. "Shut up!"

"My friends, the fates are cruel. There are no dreams, no honor remains. The arrow has left the bow of the Goddess."  
"Loveless: act IV." I said. Genesis lowered his sword and turned to face me. "Where the friends challenge each other to a duel, right?"

"You are correct." Hojo said. "An ancient epic. I read it, thinking it might aid me in my research but it was pure drivel."

"How does the duel end?" Angeal asked him. "Unknown. The last act is missing and yet to be discovered."

"There are various theories." Genesis said, making his way towards me as he spoke. "The mysterious gift of the Goddess. What is the meaning behind it? For us, at least." Genesis smirked and before I could question him, he blasted a hole in the wall. "Time to go." As soon as he said that, Genesis swung me over his shoulder and flew off. "What the hell! Put me down!" I yelled out and tried to wiggle myself free. "I wouldn't do that if I were you, unless you want to fall to your death that is." Genesis said, chuckling while he continued to fly away from the Shinra building. "What do you want from me, Genesis?" I asked him, after which he landed on top of a nearby building. "I just wanted to talk to you. Alone." As soon as my feet touched the floor I pushed Genesis away from me and spoke up in anger. "You've had plenty of time to seek me out. Why now?" Genesis sighed. "I'm dying, Kirana. Hollander is a fool. He doesn't even know what he's dealing with here."

"And you think I can help?"

"No, I thought Hojo might be able to."

"Then what do you want from me?" I asked as I slowly walked towards Genesis. Genesis looked me in the eye for a few seconds before jumping backwards up onto a nearby ramp. I raised an eyebrow at him, and turned around to see what he was looking at. It would seem that Angeal and Zack had finally caught up to us. I turned back to face Genesis and yelled up to him. "Tell me what's going on!"

"Another time perhaps." He said, after which he began to use a summoning stone. I frowned and jumped backwards towards Zack. "What is he doing?" Zack asked me, confused. "He's using a summon." I said. My eyes still on Genesis as he flew away from the building. "Kirana, I'm going after him. You'll be okay, yeah?" Angeal asked me, handing me my sword. I must've dropped it when Genesis grabbed me back at the lab. "Go. We'll handle it."

"We will?!" Zack yelled out. "Come on, Zack. Let's show this thing what Soldiers are made of."


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N:** You guys have the best ideas, thanks so much for sharing them with me!

* * *

 **Crisis Core**

 **Chapter 6**

It's been a while since Genesis's last attack on the Shinra building. Neither Genesis nor Angeal had been sighted since. It frustrated me to no end, not knowing what was going on, so for the past month and a half I had buried myself in the Shinra data room. Sephiroth joined me whenever he could. Unfortunately, he still had other duties to perform as well. Today was one of those days. Sephiroth had been called out to a mission with a couple of seconds and thirds, while I had been hauled up in the data room all day. To no avail it would seem. I sighed and closed the file I was reading. No matter how much I searched through the file cabinets, there was nothing about Project G here. I decided to give up for the day and tried to clean up some of the mess I had made. After I had done that, I checked my PHS for messages. Only one of which earned my attention.

"Mission: Modeoheim. Two days from now. Search the reactor for signs of trouble. Genesis has been spotted."

I smiled. This was my chance at getting the answers I needed.

* * *

As soon as the helicopter arrived to pick me up, I ran inside and sat down next to an infantryman. It seemed that everyone aside from me had already been picked up. I greeted Zack and Tseng, who was sitting next to him. The infantryman on the left of me though, seemed to shy away from us a little. No matter. The helicopter ride towards Modeoheim seemed to go by smoothly, for a while. As soon as we entered the mountain range though, the equipment started to break down, and the helicopter started spinning around violently. To top in all off, one of my straps broke during the crash. If it wasn't for the infantryman, who quickly grabbed a hold of me, I wouldn't have made it out of there alive.

* * *

After the helicopter had crashed, Zack and I gathered everyone around and checked to see if everyone made it out okay. Tseng, the pilot and the infantryman seemed to be fine, thankfully. I checked my PHS, but unfortunately it had been damaged during the crash and wouldn't turn on. "Anyone here have a working phone?"

"No such luck here." Zack said, his PHS had been broken in half. Tseng checked his pockets and pulled out his phone. "No signal out here."  
"Well, at least we're all in one piece. We'll be all right." Zack told us. I smiled at that and spoke up. "The reactor isn't far from here. We can just walk there."

"We have to make up for lost time, so let's get going." Tseng said, walking a few steps ahead and scanning the area. "Luckily we have someone use to this kind of terrain." Zack chuckled at that and held up his hands in surrender. "Yeah, yeah. I'm a country boy."

* * *

The walk through the Modeoheim mountain range was tough, and after a little while I noticed only Zack and the infantryman were keeping up with me. I turned around to see how Tseng and the pilot were doing and yelled out to them. "Hey! Don't fall too far behind!" Tseng waved at me from afar, and told us to keep going. I nodded at him and turned to check on my companions. "At least you guys are keeping up."

"Well, I'm a country boy too." The infantrymen said. "Really? Where are you from?"

"Nibelheim."

"Lots of creature activity there. I've been there a few times in the past. That must've been where you got your quick reflexes. Thanks again, by the way."

"Eh.. Yeah. I guess so. No problem."

"What about you, Zack?" I asked, walking backwards to face him. "Gongaga!"

"Really? That's such a backwater name." The infantryman said, causing me to laugh out loud. "Like you've been there!"

"Nope. But there's a reactor there right? A mako reactor outside of Midgar usually means.."

"..nothing else out there." The three of us said in unison. Zack chuckled and yelled out to Tseng, who was still walking further behind us. "Tseng! Good news! Me and.." Zack turned to face the infantryman and asked for his name. The infantryman removed his helmet and introduced himself. "Cloud."

"Me and Cloud are both backwater experts! Oh yeah!"

"Good. Carry on then."

* * *

It took about an hour for the three of us to reach the reactor. We decided not to get to close too soon, and hid on a cliff overlooking the area. "Phew. That was rough. I wonder how Tseng and the pilot are holding up." Zack said as he leaned against the rock face behind us. I sat down next to him and spoke up. "Let's wait here for a bit. I'm sure they'll catch up soon."

"So.. Ehm. What's it like to be in Soldier?" Cloud asked us. Zack raised an eyebrow at that. "What do you mean?"

"Uh.." Cloud struggled to find his words. I smiled at him and spoke up. "You'll find out once you join us. Right, Zack?"

"Right!"

"That is, if I can join.."

"Don't sweat it! If I could do it, then so can you." Zack told him encouragingly as Tseng and the pilot finally arrived. "I see you've found the mako excavation site." Tseng said, looking ahead with his binoculars. "There doesn't seem to be a lot of patrol out there." I told him. "I could go and check out the place."

"Sounds good. Signal us when it's safe to come." I nodded and jumped down the cliff. There were only a handful of Genesis's troops around the excavation site. I easily knocked them out and signaled for the others to come join me. One thing was for sure though. Whatever they were after, was inside of the reactor. Once Zack and Cloud found their way to me, we stepped into the elevator and rode it down to the central level. As soon as we stepped out, we found a few Genesis copies and some other fiends guarding the area. We made swift work of them as we made our way deeper into the reactor. Cloud seemed to be keeping up well enough, it made me wonder why he hadn't been promoted to 3th class yet. It didn't take very long for us to find another elevator, and as soon as we stepped out of that one, we were in for a surprise. In front of us stood Genesis, who held a blade to Hollander's throat. "What's the meaning of this?!" Hollander said as he slowly walked backwards in panic. "You need me, Genesis. Remember that!"

"Genesis, that's enough!" I said as I ran towards him, pushing his sword away with mine. "I have no need for Hollander. What I need are the Jenova cells." Hollander hid himself behind Zack and continued his speech. "But nobody knows where the Jenova cells are being kept! Not even Hojo knows. You'll never find them."

"Shut up!" I said as I continued to block Genesis's sword with my own. "If that's so, than I shall willingly accept my fate. But I'll take the world with me." Genesis said, knocking my sword out of my hands and charging towards Zack. I caught my sword mid-air and turned to help Zack ward off Genesis's attacks. While we were fighting, Hollander managed to escape Cloud's grasp. I turned around and yelled out to him. "Cloud, go after him!" He nodded and ran up the stairs, hoping to catch up to Hollander that way. Meanwhile, Genesis flew up into the air and shot fireballs at Zack from above. I jumped up into the air and attempted to knock him out from behind. Unfortunately, Genesis saw me coming and grabbed me by the throat. I held onto him wrist with both of my hands and stared into his eyes. His eyes displayed so much of his pain, but also a hint of.. regret? As soon as I saw it, Genesis let go of me and I fell down towards the platform below us. Zack caught me and set me down beside him. I looked up in the air to face Genesis, who came charging downwards and ran to meet him. Our swords clashed, and as soon as Zack joined in, I jumped up and threw a fireball of my own towards Genesis. Genesis fell backwards, and before he could retaliate, Zack hit him in the back with his sword and ended the battle. Genesis stumbled forward and panted heavily as he spoke. "Dreams of the morrow hath the shattered soul. Pride is lost. Wings are stripped away. The end is nigh." With that, he sunk down to his arms and knees. "Genesis!" I dropped my sword on the floor and ran towards him. I tried to help him sit up, but he held his hand up to me, refusing to be helped. "Such is the fate of a monster."

"We're not monsters! We're soldier!" Zack said, holding up his sword with pride. Somehow I don't think we were the monsters Genesis meant. "Where's your honor?" Genesis smirked at that and stood up. "Even if the morrow is barren of promises.." I stood up as Genesis slowly walked backwards. "..nothing shall forstall my return." Genesis jumped up onto the railing behind him as he spoke and dropped his sword in the pit behind him. I slowly tried to make my way towards him, hoping that he wouldn't do anything stupid, but he held his hand up to me again and spoke. "If this world seeks my destruction, it goes with me." With that, Genesis let himself fall backwards. "No!" I yelled out and ran towards the railing, ready to jump over after him, but Zack held me back and wouldn't let me go. "Let me.. GO!" I said, elbowing him in the stomach causing him to fall backwards. As soon as I reached the railing again though, I stopped and turned towards Zack. I slowly walked over to him and helped him stand up. As soon as Zack looked me in the eye though, I burst out into tears. Why did Genesis have to die?


End file.
